


The Delicate Art of Communication

by TwoCatsTailoring



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: 5+1 Things, Complicated Relationships, Eventual Link/Prince Sidon, M/M, Mentioned Mipha (Legend of Zelda) - Freeform, Minor Injuries, Minor Link & Mipha (Legend of Zelda), Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Link & Mipha (Legend of Zelda) - Freeform, Past Relationship(s), hearts to the tag wranglers!, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-22 05:37:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22244116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoCatsTailoring/pseuds/TwoCatsTailoring
Summary: Five times Link struggled to get his point across to Prince Sidon and one time he didn't.
Relationships: Link & Prince Sidon
Comments: 2
Kudos: 53





	1. Silence Is Golden?

**Author's Note:**

> That's such a pretentious title. I hate it and will probably change it.

He'd told Zelda once when she'd asked and all but demanded he answer her, why he didn't have much to say for himself. It seemed worse now, with everyone always being so straightforward, just saying outright that it's all up to him to save Hyrule! He's the Champion! They all know he can do it! Everyone's counting on him!

It's just easier to nod, smile. They take that for agreement, acceptance. And he had accepted it. Just not in a way that he could make anyone else understand. Not in a way that wouldn't dishearten them. Not in a way that wouldn't give away his own sense of doom. 

The people of Hyrule didn't need to be reminded that saving them meant that he would die.

Well, probably. He hoped not! But that, again, was a long, complicated explanation that he didn't want to burden anyone else with. Better to stay quiet, then. Focus on getting strong enough to at least have a chance this time.

Thankfully, he spent a lot of his time alone. Moblins and lizalfos didn't ask questions and weren't interested in his opinions. They only needed a nice, sharp sword in their faces.

Or, in the case of his most recent encounter, a flaming stick. Because that was all he had left of any use. Weapons technology had really slipped the past hundred years. Things constantly broke now. And Link might not remember much but he knew that a decent sword should not fall apart like that after fewer than 100 whacks at a squishy thing like a Chuchu. 

Which was why he was here if he was honest. No weapons, night falling, and he was tired and sore and in no mood to have to talk to anybody. Not that he thought he could right now. That feeling was back in the roof of his mouth again. Numb, not painful yet but he knew that if he tried to say anything right now, his whole face would start to hurt. 

And he was in enough pain. That hit to his shoulder was starting to smart. And by really starting to smart, he meant it was really miserably painful. His fingers were all tingly from it. That was probably not a great sign.

But he had food, he had shelter for the night, and he was alone. It would be okay. He would be okay. He also had Mipha's Grace if he wasn't okay. And the knowledge that she and Vah Ruta were just beyond the reservoir too. 

Getting through freeing Mipha and Vah Ruta had been the hardest thing he'd done. Well, that he could remember, which meant that he probably forgot a lot more than he thought right now.

But he didn't want to think about that tonight. He was content to have the reminder that he was a little less alone in this thing than he had initially thought he would be. And tonight, that was what he knew he needed. He could solve his other problems later.

One thing at a time. 

He felt better after eating something more than an apple. A good meal always did help, even if he was no great chef. Link surveyed his shoulder as best he could in the glassy waters of the reservoir in the dying light of day and decided that while it felt awful, it wasn't so bad. Blunt force hurt a larger area but the actual damage was just a dark bruise. That'd be gone in a day or two and the scrapes and scratches on his face weren't too bad once he had them cleaned up.

Link took his time rinsing the clothes he'd worn all day, scrubbing until the mud and monster blood were completely gone. He smiled to himself, proud of a job well done, as he draped them over the little stools in the pavilion to dry overnight. He checked over what weapons he did have left and shook his head, leaving the creepy moblin arm behind his pack so he didn't have to look at it. 

All that wiggling was just gross.

He took stock of his supplies and then sat down on the edge of the bed to check the arrows he'd picked up during the day. Most were in good condition, one or two needed some fletching help and it was as he was shaping the second one that he heard it — a slight sound from the stairs leading to the pavilion. 

Link paused, listening carefully, stilling his breath, and focusing away from the arrow in his hands. The sound came again, closer now. Higher up the stairs. Then it became regular, and more sounds were added to it. Breathing. A Zora breathing out of the water. Walking up the stairs.

And, most importantly not trying to hide their approach. Probably not a mortal threat, but still enough of one for Link to look around at his things scattered around the pavilion and calculate that he, unfortunately, wasn't going to have time to clear out before they got here.

He sighed, turning on the bed so he could at least be facing whoever was coming. At least he had on pants. He had to think about that because if he thought about having to say, "Hello," his tongue went dry and acidic in his mouth. But maybe whoever it was would find him here and… leave? Realize that he was mildly indisposed and apologize and just go away?

That was a lovely thought. And a likely one, so Link latched on to it and decided that his reaction to the visitor would be surprise and, if he could manage it, blushing. That would work out just fine. It sounded great! The Zora usually found a blush endearing as they couldn't quite manage it themselves, but they did understand what it meant. Link thought about a few embarrassing moments from the last few days and braced himself.

But all his preparations were for nothing and turned out to be completely unnecessary because the Zora that rounded the top of the stairs and came up short at the sight of him was none other than the only one who could make him blush in this situation.

Prince Sidon.

Mipha's baby brother, Link's partner in bringing Vah Ruta under control.

##  **"Link! My friend!"**  


Loud, outgoing, boisterous Prince Sidon. 

####  **"How good to see you again!"**

Prince Sidon, closing the gap between them in long strides with a smile brighter than the sun.

"I wasn't expecting anyone to be up here this evening. You should return to the Domain with me. My father would love to see you again, I am sure!"

Prince Sidon, with a cool hand on Link's bare shoulder that put him in such close proximity, Link was sure his neck was going to cramp as he stared up at him.

He was just so tall. And enthusiastic. And…

"Ah, my friend." Sidon's smile shifted from the smooth, shining happiness he wore so well to something Link thought was less glaring and more like…

"Mipha once said how your face would shadow when you had no words for others. I can only imagine this is what she meant."

Why did he do that, bringing up his sister? Mipha was so kind to him. Caring without doting, gentle without fragility, quiet, and undemanding. He hadn't understood why until it was nearly too late, then all of a sudden it _was_ too late! Now, all that Link had left was a vague idea the might-have-beens that he had no idea what to do with.

And here her brother stood, that (almost) same tenderness on his face talking about her talking about him.

Link's tongue turned to lead, his teeth to ash. Sidon's hand squeezed his shoulder gently.

"I will not linger if you would rather be alone, but I will not leave you if you want company."

Link couldn't answer, and his lack of a voice was not the reason. 

Because no, he did not want company at all. He wanted to be alone; that was the reason he was here in the first place. A bed with no one to go through to get to it was perfect. He needed rest to heal his wounds and the boring routine of a night's settling in somewhere safe to soothe his mind.

But he also didn't really want _Sidon_ to go. As terrifying as he could be with his height, strength, and outgoing personality, the Zora prince had this side too, that was careful and kind and made Link want to invite him to stay awhile. Wanted Sidon to join him, though for what Link had no idea. 

While Link waffled, Sidon waited, dropping his hand back to his side and rocking back and forth on his heels. Which was just the thing he needed to do to realize,

**"Link, you're injured!"**

The alarm in his voice was so genuinely over the top, Link almost laughed. He did smile, then felt the heat rise in his face again as Sidon went on immediately,

"You must return with me. You need medicine."

He was so earnest, so concerned and determined. It was… endearing. But the idea of leaving was too much.

Link shook his head and gestured to the empty bottle and box from his dinner, hoping Sidon understood.

He didn't. 

"Yes, but you need **medicine**. That bruise is terrible."

Link sighed and tried again, leaving his arrows to-be-fixed in a neat pile on the bed. He crossed the pavilion and brought the bottle - with the last drops of the healing potion in it - back for Sidon to see.

Link sniffed it, then handed it to Sidon, indicating that he should do the same.

"Ah, you've done your due diligence then."

He sounded different now. Maybe he was…? No, that was silly. Sidon wasn't the type to get embarrassed.

Link nodded slowly, then extended a hand to point to the bed. 

"You need rest, yes?"

It was nice that he asked, Link thought. Most people just assumed they knew what he meant.

"Why not the inn? The water bed there is excellent. I'm sure you would wake more rested there than here?"

Link shook his head and crossed back again, tugging his limp wallet from his pack. When he turned back, he almost crashed into Sidon, who'd followed this time. Link started and blushed again (he was just so _big_!) but opened his wallet for Sidon to see how empty it was.

"Oh, my friend," Sidon shook his head sadly. "That is the eternal problem, isn't it? You and I couldn't even pool our rupees for the standard bed at the inn."

Link nodded and closed up the small bag. Where had all the rupees of Hyrule gone? He had no way of knowing and clues were non-existent. He added that to the list of personally significant mysteries he would try to solve as he traveled.

Sidon looked around the pavilion and nodded his head once. "You need rest so I will not keep you. Can I bring you anything from the Domain?"

Link could use a lot of things, but he did not want to ask for them. That would mean Sidon would come back. And while Link didn't necessarily want Sidon to leave he also didn’t want to have to entertain guests.

Of the inclined to loudness, maybe-almost-brother-in-law type with an infectious smile and endless optimism type. 

"No? Very well! I will leave you to yourself, then!" Sidon's sun-bright, sparkling smile was firmly back in place as he gave Link a jaunty wave, heading back to the stairs. 

Link's shoulders sagged as he watched Sidon go. He hadn't said a word, and Sidon didn't seem to mind, but now he was even more exhausted than before. The arrows could wait until morning.

It was morning that brought the realization that Sidon had left with his potion bottle.

And had returned it in the night, refilled with a slightly more restorative potion than the one Link had used the night before.


	2. Man of Few Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An awkward conversation to almost ruin a good day.

Now that he'd gotten the hang of building a fire that didn't smoke too much, he had to admit that building one up here had been a pretty good idea. Maybe not the best one he'd ever had but definitely an inspired one. Making it on the stones meant that even if he'd fallen asleep with it burning, it wouldn't have spread. And putting it next to one wall of the pavilion had worked out great - no more waiting two days for his clothes to dry!

And that was a definite bonus right now. Link had everything he needed and wanted to be on his way to his next destination.

After thinking about it for a while, Link had decided that the task of freeing all of the Divine Beasts was something he could do. Was it hard? Yes. Was the responsibility of it overwhelming if he sat down and thought about it? Yes. But overall, it was manageable. His memories of the Champions were scarce, to say the least, and if Mipha was any indication, the full memories of them came back over time - not all at once. That made it easier.

If he'd gone into Ruta with all of his memories intact, he wasn't sure if he would have been able to make it through without losing his mind. Or breaking his heart. Or both. Or maybe something worse though he wasn't sure what, exactly, could be much worse than those two. 

Of course, they were dead now, and he couldn't change that. He couldn't fix it or bring them back, so maybe that made it easier too. Yeah, probably. The regret was still there for what might have been. And the grief for a friend (just a friend, though?) lost was there too, and really fresh sometimes. But, as cold as it sounded, there was nothing he could do about it except move forward. 

And every time he looked in the direction of the castle, it was a reminder that he had to keep moving forward. That simplified things a lot.

Because Zelda was still alive in there. His task, as bestowed to him by the sword and charged to him by the King Himself, was to protect the Princess. She'd been holding on for 100 years. The only way out for her was through him not getting caught in the past. 

And he certainly wasn't caught in the past right now. A familiar hum was drifting up the stairs at the back of the landing, and Link couldn't help but smile as he packed away the last pair of spare, completely dry socks.

**"Link, I'm glad I caught you!"**

Sidon. How did he always seem to know what Link was camping out just above Zora's Domain?

Link shook his head as he buckled his pack. He turned to Sidon and tapped the side of his head, pointed to Sidon, and shrugged.

The confusion on Sidon's face was mild, and his head tilted to the side was so child-like that Link chuckled. He was going to try to clarify his meaning a little more, but Sidon caught on.

Snapping his fingers, he asked, "How do I know when you are here?"

Link nodded once and Sidon shrugged, a large, expansive gesture that sent the chains on his raiment dancing in the morning sun.

"This time, it was the smoke from your fire."

Link crossed his arms over his chest and rocked back on his heels, mouth set in a crooked line of mirth. 

"What? Does that not count?" Sidon's eyes were wide and he put a hand to his chest in mock surprise. 

Link rolled his eyes and said, "Cheating."

Sidon wore his emotions on his sleeve, but Link had to give him credit for not being completely taken aback by the first word he'd heard Link say. Most people reacted pretty strongly, which wasn't any kind of inducement to get Link to keep talking, even when he could. But Sidon….

Sidon was proving to be as relieving as he was loud.

"Using the tools at my disposal is not cheating, my friend! Do you not do the same?" Sidon's grin was always a little cheeky, but when he got that look in his eye to go with it, Link knew something impressive was coming.

"I seem to recall you using a disembodied, still twitching arm to great effect more than once!"

There it was, and Link finally failed in holding in his amusement. He raised both hands in a gesture of supplication and Sidon joined him in a hearty laugh. Still twitching was the truth. And it was creepy, those arms flapping around and clacking.

"But I have interrupted you again, I see. Where do you head next on your journey?" Sidon crossed the tiles and leaned forward, his hands flat on the shelf at the edge of the pavilion, and his head cocked attentively again.

"Death Mountain," Link said. He was glad that he'd woken up with a sense of purpose instead of crushing dread this morning. Trying to explain Death Mountain and the Goron's without a few words would have been a real challenge.

"Ah! Champion Daruk's home," Sidon nodded understanding. "Mipha always seemed to like him, though I'm not sure she understood why she did," he laughed. 

Now it was Link's turn to look at Sidon for clarity. He had no memory of Daruk at all, though he suspected he would be able to get some back if things with Rudania went as they had with Ruta. 

"I understand that he had a huge personality," Sidon explained. "Though I never met him myself."

Link wasn't sure what to make of that. The Goron's he'd met already were all very large to begin with, but a large personality? That sounded nerve-wracking. And he could imagine though that Mipha - at least his memory of Mipha - would struggle with that. 

"Link," Sidon's face was no longer smiling when Link looked up at him. It was… not confused but not confident. 

Link felt some of the words he knew he had in him drain away. Whatever was coming was not going to be the good kind of impressive.

"May I ask you about your relationship with my sister?"

The question fell like a stone between them. Heavy and leeching away a little more of Link's voice. Did he answer? Could he answer? What was the right answer?

He wanted to tell Sidon that there hadn't been much, if anything. Just potential, just the desire after everything was said and done, for there to be something real. That they both had time for. That they both wanted, he thought.

"Your face is so expressive, my friend." The smile was back now, not quite so dazzling and with an edge of sadness to it. "I suppose it was…."

Sidon searched for the word he was looking for, but the right one bubbled out of Link's mouth on its own. 

"Complicated." With that, he was out of words. Who knew for how long, but for the first time, it was disappointing. There was so much more he wanted to say, that only a voice could manage. And now he didn't have one.

Sidon nodded sagely. "I doubt anything was easy, then." Sidon stood up straight again and took a deep breath, the gills on his sides opening with his exhale. "I won't keep you any longer. Is there anything I can do for you to aid your journey? I am not fool enough to offer to come along!"

There was something a little different about the smile he offered now. Just as many teeth, just as bright, winning. But the corners of his mouth wavered just a little. And his fingers were twisted together like Mipha's had done when she was nervous.

It was equally charming on Sidon.

But why would Sidon be nervous? Did he even know how to be? 

Link left that mystery for another time; there was only so much deep thinking he could take in a day and there was still so much he had to _do_. 

He glanced around the pavilion and started to shake his head that there wasn't anything he needed when the sight of the fire gave him an idea. One that should lighten the mood again and make Sidon laugh. And Link really enjoyed his laugh.

He strode over to the fire, making sure that he had Sidon's attention before he made all the motions involved with cooking. He grinned when Sidon caught on.

"A cooking pot? And give you a reason to never come back to Zora's Domain again?" Sidon said with an explosive laugh. "You ask far too much, Link! Imagine how disappointed my father would be!"


End file.
